ONE FACE: A Collection of Interfaith Prayers and Poems

One Face by MAK

ONE FACE: A Collection of Interfaith Prayers and Poems is now available for free download.

From the introduction:

Through the years, I have come to travel an integral path of spirituality. I came to this path through a series of life transitions and transformations. My early religious upbringing left me emotionally wounded and eventually I began to study and explore many of the other world's spiritual traditions. Each new spiritual tradition I encountered seemed to offer me a different view of the Divine that gradually coalesced into a more expansive view of the sacred. Additionally, it seemed as though each tradition was entering my life to give me a specific experiential lesson about the Divine and my relationship with it.

Eventually I began to incorporate these various traditions into an eclectic and integral spiritual practice, which is continually evolving. Through many blessings and graces, I have found myself walking a single road made up of many converging paths. Ultimately, this integral path brought me back to my religion of origin, Judaism, and I was able to see it in a wholly different light. Now Judaism is part of my integral path and the essence of its teachings forms the core of my practice.

The writings in this booklet are a collection of both original and adapted prayers and poems that have come through me through inner guidance as I have sojourned on this journey of Integral Spirituality.

Kosmic Surf

molecules swimming
in the atomic sea
particles becoming waves
waves becoming particles
table top ripples
from the hit
of my liquid fist

SOUND
echoing
turning into thought
into dream
into action
into matter
into nothing that matters

FEAR
dissolving
in an ocean
of connectedness

LOVE
undulating
in the Kosmic Surf

the future,
a one-eyed monster
wanting to be feed

the past,
a shadow
cast ahead

and now,
is…

NOW
riding the waves
Kosmic surfing
going with the flow
nothing else needed
to Know.

- MAK

Image: Particle Wave by me (MAK)

What is Love?

 

I have traveled far to ask,

“What is Love?”

A Buddhist Monk once showed me that

Love is a compassionate heart;

A Christian Saint once showed me that

Love is a forgiving heart;

A Muslim Sheik once showed me that

Love is a devoted heart;

A Taoist Sage once showed me that

Love is a heart that accepts all things as they are;

A Jewish Prophet once showed me that

Love is a heart that sees the one within the many;

A Native American Shaman once showed me that

Love is a heart that feels the interconnectedness of all things;

A Hindu Holy Man once showed me that

Love is, when all that is not love ceases to be.

I have traveled far to ask,

“What is Love?”

And I have seen the many faces of Love,

and I have felt the many ways of Love,

and I have touched the heart of Love itself

and learned that

Love truly is all these things.

- MAK

From One Face: A Collection of Interfaith Prayers and Poems

*Image by: Daniel B. Holeman

Gravity Waves

I ride the waves of gravity,

surfing on the cosmic sea of light,

rippling distortions in the fabric of space-time,

rising from the past,

cresting in this very moment,

falling toward an unknown future shore.

Have to remember to ride the now,

looking back or looking ahead,

is always how I wipe out.

Prayer for the Festivals of Light

The rebirth of the life-generating and life-sustaining sun
at the darkest moment of the seasons;
The oil of an ancient temple lamp burning beyond its limit;
A shining star in a dark sky illuminating the way;
The light of mercy revealed through prayer and devotion;
The guiding light of seven principles arising from the heart of
the Dark Continent.
This is the season of The Festivals of Light...
The Winter Solstice,
Chanukah,
Christmas,
Ramadan,
Kwanzaa
In the darkness of this Winter
during these terror filled and challenging times;
May we all find the light in darkness,
faith amidst struggle,
rebirth following change and loss,
and virtue and devotion in the face of great challenge.

Published in: Beben, M. T. (2002). New Wine: More Eucharistic Liturgies for 21st Century Small Faith Communities. Boulder, CO: Woven Word Press.

Cosmic Dance

Renewal by Csuri


When I integrate
the different levels
of my inner and outer life,
I enter into a glorious and miraculous
cosmic dance,
in harmony with
all that is within
and all that is without,
from the tiniest atom
to the greatest
expanse of the universe,
I am held and impelled
by an original gravity,
a force of ancient origin
and of a continually
unfolding newness,
unique and original,
and together,
you and I
and all of creation
are balanced,
integrated,
and complete,
at home
in orbit
around the sphere
of all being-ness.